Editorials
Final Chapters, Extinctions & Apocalypses: Ranking All 8 ‘Resident Evil’ Live Action Adaptations
As the Resident Evil franchise steadily marches towards its 30th anniversary, enough time has passed that a whole generation of fans now consider the series’ divisive film adaptations to be just as integral to the IP’s identity as the games that they’re supposedly based on.
And with Zach Cregger’s upcoming cinematic reboot promising to take the franchise back to its horrific roots, we thought that it might be fun to look back on the adaptations of yesteryear and rank every entry in this long-running series. After all, with seven live action films and an eight-episode TV show, I’d argue that there’s a Resident Evil adaptation for every kind of fan.
As usual, don’t forget to comment below with your own personal rankings if you disagree with our order, but keep in mind that we’ll be excluding the franchise’s various animated entries due to the fact that their stories are actually considered canon in the games – meaning that they’re technically not adaptations.
With that out of the way, onto the ranking.
8. Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016)
It’s a real shame that Paul W.S. Anderson’s iteration of the series went out with a proverbial whimper just as the gaming franchise was starting to make its horrific comeback, but it’s hard to defend an action-horror flick with repetitive fight scenes and little-to-no scares.
Alas, there isn’t much to like about this undead road trip other than Milla Jovovich’s natural charm. That being said, I guess we should be grateful that this definitive ending has allowed for new takes on the series from other, more horror-oriented filmmakers.
7. Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)
RE: Retribution may be structured like a level-based videogame and even features the live-action debut of fan-favorite characters like Leon S. Kennedy, Ada Wong and Barry Burton, but this overproduced mess is still a low point for the franchise.
From its nonsensical script to its over-reliance on CGI action, Retribution feels more like a corporate-mandated cash-grab than a movie made by people who actually care about the series.
I do love its over-the-top rendition of Wesker, though.
6. Resident Evil (2022)
An episodic format feels like a natural fit for an IP as lore-heavy as the Resident Evil games, and while Netflix’s adaptation wasn’t exactly a big hit with fans due to its young-adult elements and convoluted timeline, this short-lived TV show is still worth watching if you know your way around the games’ extensive mythology.
Of course, the late Lance Reddick’s performance as Albert Wesker is the real reason to watch the show, as his surprisingly nuanced take on a traditionally two-dimensional villain remains a highlight of the franchise as a whole.
5. Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)
Paul W.S. Anderson’s long-awaited return to the director’s chair may have resulted in an objectively bad sequel, but I’d argue that this over-the-top piece of stereoscopic schlock is some of the most fun that an action-horror fan can have with their clothes on.
Featuring some of the most stylized set-pieces in the series as well as some tongue-in-cheek nods to the then-recent RE5, Afterlife is a great time if you choose to experience it as an action-packed haunted-house attraction rather than a proper narrative film.
4. Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021)
Johannes Roberts’ attempt at breathing new life into the (un)dead franchise may have received a bad rap upon release, but I still think this underfunded passion project is a lot more fun than it has any right to be. Adapting two titles at once was certainly a bold choice, but Roberts mostly makes up for this rushed approach by adding in a healthy dose of both humor and fan service – not to mention a welcome return to genre scares.
And while the flick stumbles in the narrative department (especially where characterization is concerned), this is still the only Resident Evil adaptation to actually feel like it takes place in the same world as the games.
And hey, they absolutely nailed the live-action depiction of Lisa Trevor!
3. Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)
My personal favorite entry in the franchise (though not necessarily the best), Alexander Witt’s RE: Apocalypse has a lot going for it if you can stomach a bloated runtime and an increased focus on action. After all, this is the first film to feel like it takes place in Raccoon City, and it also happens to feature the best antagonist in the entire series.
It’s still a shame that Leon S. Kennedy is nowhere to be found, but this thrilling midnight movie is still a kick-ass sequel boasting a plethora of impressive practical effects and some great atmosphere.
2. Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)
Directed by Ozploitation veteran Russell Mulcahy (who also helmed the original Highlander), RE: Extinction takes the franchise in a much shlockier direction and is all the more entertaining for it. Taking place in a Mad-Max-inspired rendition of post-apocalyptic Nevada, the movie barely resembles its source material, but that doesn’t really matter when its original creations are so much fun.
Extinction suffers from a disjointed script and an assortment of predictable plot points, but memorable scenes like that thrilling crow attack (not to mention the first live-action depiction of the games’ Tyrant) mostly make up for its narrative flaws.
1. Resident Evil (2002)
It may not be the George A. Romero project that we’ve all dreamed of, but I still defend Paul W.S. Anderson’s first foray into the undead world of Resident Evil as a legitimately great horror flick. Boasting a great cast, incredible atmosphere and a kick-ass soundtrack, I’d argue that this cheesy midnight movie sold more copies of the game than Lady Dimitrescu’s exaggerated figure ever could.
The movie only tangentially resembles its namesake, but the fact that this script was initially meant to be an original horror story inspired by the director’s impressions of playing through the games makes me appreciate it more than a straightforward adaptation of an existing story.
From child-eating witches to village-burning dragons, fairy tales have always had a foot in the horror genre. That’s why it makes sense that, for every The Hobbit and The Chronicles of Narnia, there are also darker and more adult-oriented stories about magical worlds inhabited by ravenous monsters and cruel villains.
Funnily enough, these sinister tales were precisely the ones that I gravitated towards back when I was a kid, and I was reminded of this while watching Netflix’s recently released I Am Frankelda, Mexico’s first ever feature-length stop-motion animation and one hell of an entertaining parable about the intersection between fiction and reality.
In honor of this special kind of horror-adjacent fairy tale, today I’d like to share this list recommending six Dark Fantasy films that horror fans might enjoy.
For the purposes of this list, we’ll be defining Dark Fantasy as fantastical stories that don’t shy away from the more macabre elements that fuel classic fairy tales. That being said, don’t forget to comment below with your own grim favorites if you think we missed a particularly thrilling one.
With that out of the way, onto the list!
6. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013)
I’m fascinated by bizarre attempts at blockbuster filmmaking – especially when the resulting movies are somehow still fun despite their corporate-mandated origins. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters is precisely one of these strangely compelling studio projects, as this surprisingly successful action-thriller boasts a lot of heart (and tongue-in-cheek humor) for a CGI-heavy creature feature.
Directed by Dead Snow’s Tommy Wirkola, Witch Hunters re-frames the classic fairy tale as an origin story for a duo of badass monster-slayers. Of course, it’s the flick’s anachronistic aesthetic and overall visual flair that make it stand out from other action-horror endeavors from around the same time.
5. The Wolf House (2018)
Made in the tradition of faux cursed films in the same vein as Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made, the eerie backstory to 2018’s Chilean animated flick The Wolf House (La Casa Lobo in the original Spanish) already makes it a nightmarish experience before the flick even really begins.
After all, the movie is presented to us as a faux propaganda film produced by the leader of a death cult (heavily inspired by the real life Colonia Dignidad), with this hybrid animated feature using complex movie magic to simulate a single uninterrupted shot as it tells the story of a lazy young girl who runs away from an isolated colony and encounters a creepy old house in the woods.
4. The Brothers Grimm (2005)
Out of all the Monty Python alumni, Terry Gilliam has had the most interesting career outside of the original comedy group. From fascinating canceled projects (such as his scrapped adaptation of Watchmen) to dystopian parodies that feel more relevant by the minute (1985’s Brazil), even his “lesser” films are still intriguing in their own way.
2005’s The Brothers Grimm is one such project, with this peculiar movie attempting to combine the comedian-turned-filmmaker’s unique visual style with a more blockbuster-oriented plot reimagining the titular brothers as con-artists rather than mere writers. The end result isn’t exactly a masterpiece, but it’s still a legitimately fun ride with plenty of memorable monsters and wonderful performances by both the late, great Heath Ledger and Matt Damon.
3. Dante’s Inferno: An Animated Epic (2010)
2010’s Dante’s Inferno game may have a reputation as something of an unapologetic God of War clone, but I’d argue that the now-obscure game was aesthetically unique enough to deserve a bigger fanbase. However, while the title remains trapped on the seventh console generation, its highly underrated anime adaptation is a lot easier to get a hold of!
Animated by 6 different studios in order to make the 9 circles of hell feel unique from each other, this may not be a completely faithful adaptation of Dante Alighieri’s poem, but it’s still one heck of a great (not to mention gory) time that I’d highly recommend to fans of Netflix’s take on Castlevania.
2. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009)
My personal favorite entry in the Underworld franchise, Rise of the Lycans, is a highly ambitious prequel that actually works better if you haven’t had the story spoiled to you by the previous Underworld films.
While the rest of the series features plenty of urban fantasy elements as the movies combine machine guns and modern environments with gothic storytelling, Patrick Tatopoulos’ prequel fully embraces its fantastical origins and tells a classic tale about a doomed romance between a werewolf and a vampire amid a medieval uprising.
And the best part is that we get a lot more Michael Sheen as the fan-favorite Lucian.
1. Solomon Kane (2011)
One of my personal favorite movies on this list, MJ Basset’s criminally underseen adaptation of Robert E. Howard’s other iconic warrior is thoroughly steeped in horror ambience and features plenty of memorable monsters. However, it’s also a classic origin story for a swashbuckling hero that wouldn’t feel out of place in a tabletop RPG.
While I’ve already written about how the film deftly combines both horror and fantasy elements without breaking the bank, I’ll never pass up an opportunity to recommend the bizarre movie where James Purefoy expertly plays a puritan John Wick.
It’s just too bad that we never got the other films in this intended trilogy.
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